I love my single/no-kid friends, but...

Just a short post here.  I've somehow always been a bit ahead of my friends in stages of life (although they've always had better jobs than me!) but it wasn't until I was married for 5 years and having my first kid that I realized that was why some relationships were strained.  I found that my priorities were always a bit different which meant that my time was spent differently, a reality my friends were fairly puzzled by.  I wish I handled it better back then but ah well, it's in the past and I didn't fully understand what was going on either.

For those of you who are experiencing an adjustment with friends who don't have kids, particularly those who are still single, take a look at this "Dear Carolyn" response.  Sorry if you have trouble reading it as I didn't have the time to type it up!  If you can read it, I hope it helps give you the words, perspective and strength to work on your friendships and make them last.  Sadly, I think I'll need to let go (yes, it's been almost a decade and I had thought, until recently, I could resurrect things to "the ways they were") and work on current and new friendships.

How about you?  Are there friends beginning to drift because your schedule and priorities have changed since becoming a parent?  Have you had a chance to address it?  What have you done to accommodate or gain understanding from your friends?